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tv   NBC11 News The Bay Area at 5  NBC  November 17, 2010 5:00pm-5:30pm PST

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the uc mission bay campus. now, there were arrests and there were injuries, but uc police say they were ready for it all. you can see the barricades here in the background. those are going to stay up for a while. protesters are still upset because the regents didn't even vote on the most contentious issues. >> things just went a little out of control when folks decided to bombard and push over the barricades. >> reporter: cameras documented the point when this protest against the university of california board of regents transformed from calm to chaos. hundreds of student and union protesters attempted to breach the barricades set up by uc police. many were met with powerful blasts of pepper spray. >> it was kind of almost expected. we had our bandanas ready and then it came and it just -- yeah, it got everywhere. all over my face, my eyes, my
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hands. >> reporter: the protesters came to the meeting to express their anger about proposals to increase tuition by 8% and to make changes to employee pension plans. some protesters ended up in handcuffs. most are facing misdemeanor charges, but uc spokesman peter king says there was one more serious incident when, according to king, an officer protecting a stairwell in the parking garage was rushed by 100 students who ripped his baton out of his hands. >> he went down, he was hit over the head with the baton. he got up and drew his weapon. he held it in a defensive posture, pointed it toward the ground as the students backed away. >> reporter: uc santa cruz student gabby kirk says she saw a baton fly through the air but students were walking toward, not rushing at the officer. >> and he just pulled his gun and just starts pointing it randomly at people with this crazy look in his eyes and we are all just like white, like calm down. some people are like, oh, it's a
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taser. no, that's a gun. >> reporter: so the protesters say they're angry that the uc regents pulled a switcharoo on them. the discussion on the pension plan reform and the vote on the tuition hikes won't be held until tomorrow. many of the protesters who came from as far away as santa barbara and los angeles say there's no way they can come back here tomorrow, so now they'll have to stage protests at their own campuses. live in san francisco, tracy grant, nbc bay area news. well, meg whitman wrapped up some housecleaning today. the former gubernatorial candidate settled a dispute with a former housekeeper. nicky die as santillan and her lawyer, gloria allred, say they are satisfied. diaz claimed she owed her money for unpaid wages. >> meg whitman and her husband have agreed to pay $5500 in settlement. we've agreed because that was almost the entire amount we were
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seeking. >> this is a political charade and at the end of the day the whitmans -- meg whitman and her husband are glad to move on. >> you may remember that whitman's run for the governor's office lost steam as reports surfaced that she had hired santillan who was an undocumented worker. is the tsa a little too touchy. lots of complaints were in capitol hill. john pistole defended them insisting they're necessary to keep people safe. here's the latest from oakland international airport. >> reporter: yeah, lawmakers are getting a lot of calls from people concerned about the new screening procedures. but with an estimated 1.6 million americans travel buying air next week, it's unlikely anything will change.
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for millions of travelers like janet who just arrived at oakland international airport and those in congress, the issue of airport security is taking a personal turn. >> there's parts of you that are just yours. so it's nicer to feel that they understand that. >> i wouldn't want my wife to be touched in the way that these folks are being touched. >> reporter: at a hearing on capitol hill, tsa chief john pistole said he and homeland security secretary janet napolitano have themselves undergone the new, more invasive patdowns. >> do i understand the sensitivity of people? yes. if you're asking am i going to change the policies, no. >> reporter: pointing to the christmas day underwear bomb he maintained the searches are necessary. just this week, a bill requiring screening for 100% of cargo shipped to the u.s. was introduced in congress after explosives were found hidden in
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toner cartridges last month. back at the airport, other passengers say the body scanner technology and the alternate patdowns on them are worth it. >> for the sake of a little bit of personal inconvenience, 200 people on the airplane are going to make it there safely every time. >> reporter: while pilots claim they should be exempt. >> the tsa by applying these illogical, ridiculous standards to the crew members is wasting resources from the true threat. >> reporter: officials say they're open to relaxing the rules for crew and are testing systems like this one used in amsterdam that doesn't show bodies in detail. >> there are currently a high rate of false positives on that technology. >> reporter: and so for now it's likely security will stay as is, especially since lawmakers mandated those scanners in the first place. for now we're live at oakland international airport. there will be no moratorium on cell phone towers in walnut creek, at least for now. the city council decided not to
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make a decision until further studies are done. there is also concern that a moratorium can be considered illegal. the decision came after hours of public testimony over a cell phone tower proposed for one neighborhood. neighbors oppose the tower and believe at&t can put it somewhere else and not in the middle of a neighborhood. on another front, parents at two elementary schools along the open ed emeryville border are planning a march for friday. they're upset over plans to build cell phone towers just a few hundred feet from their schools. an investigation under way tonight to figure out who gunned down a man outside of oakland's most popular churches. the 46-year-old victim was shot to death just before noon yesterday in front of allen temple baptist church. the church pastor, alfred smith, says he believes someone lured the man outside the church. the victim was taking a class when he got a phone call and then walked outside where he was shot to death. >> the young man who lost his
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life yesterday was endeavoring to turn his life around. he wanted a better life. he wanted a better future. >> the victim had been living in a transitional housing program and he was taking classes at the church to earn his ged. a man suspected of dragging a police officer with his suv surrendered to police. 62-year-old elmer stewart turned himself in on monday. police say an officer pulled him over last week as part of an undercover drug investigation. when the officer saw drugs allegedly in the suv, the driver took off, dragging the officer with him. that officer is expected to be okay. stewart, it turns out, is on federal probation for a drug offense. the novato high school student charged with killing a classmate in a drunken car wreck has pleaded guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. the 16-year-old boy whose name has not been released because he's a minor crashed into an
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oncoming tractor-trailer back in september. he was driving under the influence and without a license. 15-year-old isaac bross was killed in the accident. three other teenager passengers were injured in the crash. the driver ischeduled to appear in a marin courtroom for sentencing on december 2nd. rescuers would like help locating another beer can collared seagull in san francisco. this juvenile sea bird was last seen on the campus of san francisco state university. wildlife specialists are trying to track down the bird so it can be helped. they rescued a different seagull last week. the award that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person abusing the bird has doubled now to $6,000. bay area strict attorneys have been teaming up to sue overstock.com. district attorneys filed a civil lawsuit against the internet retailer. they're accusing overstock.com
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of misleading its customers. that team of d.a.s argue that the company makes false claims about the prices of its products versus the prices of its competitors. the lawsuit seeks $15 million in fines and restitution. well, oakland mayor ron dellums cancelled his state of the city address today and instead posted his report online. the report said oakland has seen economic growth during his tenure and a drop in violent crime. while there was no sign of dellums at city hall today, the mayor's office did issue a statement from him denying a report that he would leave his post before his term ends on january 3rd in order to pursue a lobbying job. in the release, dellums said there's no question he will finish his term and remain in office until mayor-elect jean quan is sworn in. nancy pelosi retained the top democratic leadership position in the house today. the new minority leader had considerable opposition from
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democrats who believe that the republican gains in the house show that voters want change. pelosi says she heard voters and knows how to get work done with the new leadership. >> our consensus is that we go out there listening to the american people. it's about jobs, about reducing the deficit and it's about fighting for the middle class. so i look forward to doing that. >> pelosi won a closed door vote 150-43 over representative heath shulor of north carolina. designing a car with the ladies in mind. the new features that soon could be available and what women like to look for when buying a car. also ahead, thou shall not facebook. why a pastor is trying to shut down the social network at his church. and zapping your blood pressure to lower the level. the experimental treatment that could have patients ditching their medication. and the near failing grade. the new report leading to concern over births in the u.s.
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and good afternoon, i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri in the center of all the action. we'll tell you how safeway and nbc is teaming up to make it extra easy for you to donate this holiday season. that plus major changes in your weekend forecast coming up. [ female announcer ] jcp cash is on the spot savings. earn ten dollars off on the spot when you spend twenty five! wow! unlike other stores... ...we don't make you come back to save. earn jcp cash -- ten dollars off when you spend twenty five, two days only! who knew shopping could be so rewarding? jcpenney.
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earn ten dollars off on the spot when you spend twenty five! wow! unlike other stores... ...we don't make you come back to save. earn jcp cash -- ten dollars off when you spend twenty five, two days only! who knew shopping could be so rewarding? jcpenney. paper or plastic. well, sunnyvale shoppers may soon not have that choice. the sunnyvale city council voted to approve a measure to finalize a ban on plastic bags. yesterday city staff expects to pass an ordinance early next year. if passed, plastic bags would be banned in about 125 retail stores. palo alto is the only other city to enact the plastic bag ban, but san jose may be next. the city council is expected to
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vote on the issue in december. well, clean up your act. that's the message to caltrans from the epa. the environmental protection agency says caltrans is dumping waste, water loaded with heavy metals, pesticides, sediment and trash into the state's bay, rivers and streams. the epa wants caltrans to come up with a comprehensive plan to deal with the water pollution. caltrans has a year to deliver a solution. topping our healthwatch tonight, too many children born too soon. a new report out today from the march of dimes finds that after 30 years on the rise, america's rate of premature births is improving. but experts say it's still much too high. nbc bay area's laura garcia-cannon has more. >> reporter: jordan arrived in september, more than two months early, weighing not quite 3 pounds. >> now you can see she has a lot of fat on her cheeks and her hands are bigger.
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>> she's growing and she's eating and she'sing doing real well. >> reporter: one in eight american babies is born early, that's half a million a year, more than most other developed countries. the march of dimes gives the u.s. a "d" mainly because of so many elective c-sections. >> pregnancy is not nine times four, nine months times four weeks, 36, pregnancy is full term at 39 weeks of completed gestation. and that's so important for the timing of an elective c-section. >> reporter: when babies are born even just a few weeks early, lungs and brains aren't fully developed. there's a higher risk of breathing problems, feeding problems and developmental issues later in life. the government says one of the biggest problems is women smoking. >> one of the things immediately that it does is decrease the oxygen in your bloodstream and, therefore, the baby has less oxygen. >> reporter: but in recent years, doctors have seen huge progress in young preemies like
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jordan. >> they had a very -- about a 50%, 60% survival rate and about a 50% complication rate as they went out, developmental problems. now that baby has a 90 to 95% survival rate. experimental treatment is showing promise in helping people control their blood pressure. the treatment involves radio waves that zap nerves near the kidneys. nerves that trigger high blood pressure. it's done through a tube pushed into the blood vessel in the groin, similar to angioplasty. the average blood pressure reading dropped by 33 points. about 75 million americans have high blood pressure. thou shall not facebook. a new jersey pastor is preaching that facebook friends can lead to infidelity and he wants his flock to deelt their accounts. the reverend cedric miller in
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new jersey says that it leads to sinning when married people friend old flames. people are currently experiencing marital problems because of facebook so he's ordered married church officials to delete their accounts and he said the congregants should do the same. well, it's time to take our first look at the weather. jeff ranieri has found himself a very comfortable place tonight. >> of course, where else but the marina and the safeway at the marina. that is a fun safeway too. >> yeah, it is fun. something for everyone here. it's packed, just eight days and counting until thanksgiving. nbc is teaming up with safeway this holiday season for our annual holiday food drive. i want to show you guys how easy it is if you come out and donate. michael back here behind the register has been kind enough, yes, folks, to lend me the gun here to scan our way to a donation. all they do is scan the bag -- oh, i've got to hit the button. see, i thought it was easy.
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and then it rings up on the register and that's all you've got to do. so you can get a prepacked bag that's already ready to go. you don't even have to do too much when you come out here to safeway. you can also if you don't want to spend $10 or $15 to get the bag, you can do single can donations as well. we'll be out here on saturday helping out with safeway with nbc bay area. joining us right now is the director of the san francisco food bank, paul ash. paul, thanks for coming on out. so whaet's the need like this year? >> it's tremendous. in the bay area there's over half a million people relying on us for food. just in san francisco over 100,000 will be served a holiday meal so this food drive is very important. >> an important point that you brought up, it's not some of the typical people that are in need. i mean there's a great need all across the board. >> people are often surprised that we have working people coming to our pantries, people who are making, seven, eight,
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nine, even $10 an hour. you add that up and that's near the poverty level. so they need food assistance. if there's an extra expense in a week they need to go to a pantry and get some help. >> thanks a lot. paul ash, director of the san francisco food bank. where can they go online? >> yes, sffoodbank.org or bayareahunger.org. >> so there and find out how to help out in your community. let's get a look at the weather graphics the next 48 hours. we're going to start to see some fall weather coming into the bay area the next 48 hours after that record heat on sunday and monday. temperatures are crashing and fast. if anything it will help to get you into the holiday spirit as we head to saturday as nbc bay area comes on out to the safeways to help collect your donationing for the holiday season. all right, high pressure is starting to weaken. what we're watching is more onshore winds. as we head throughout tomorrow. then the second component is this area of low pressure and also this cold front that's going to be dropping down and
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that's going to bring the chance of rain here on friday. but most notably, the best chance of rain still in the forecast as we head throughout saturday night and into sunday morning. temperatures also going from nearly 80 degrees inland on monday down into the 50s. now, for tonight we're talking low to mid-40s the across the bay area. by noon tomorrow, low 60s for the east bay down into the south bay by the noon hour. and then by the afternoon, that's it, just 65 in livermore, 66 in fairfield, and low to mid-60s into the north bay. and in san francisco, 59. all right, your seven-day forecast has that chance of rain in it friday, saturday, sunday and monday. once again, temperatures inland going from the 80s all the way down into the 50s. and one more thing, if you want to do a little bit more in terms of giving, you can also donate a ham or a turkey. they can scan that for you right at the register. over 140 safeways here in the bay area. back to you. >> saturday is going to be a big day, jeff. we look forward to seeing lots and lots of our friends. >> jeff a great meteorologist.
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not a good checker if you noticed that. still,5:00 a5:00, "people" names the sexiest man alive. who is it?
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royal wedding bells. prince william and his bride-to-be, kate middleton, sat down with nbc to discuss their engage maenlt. >> it was the first time the couple sat down with the american press. natalie morales is in london and she has more details on the royal engagement. >> reporter: the royal couple who may one day be king and queen yesterday talked about their engagement. so how did william pop the question? >> we had a wonderful holiday in africa. and in the very quiet lodge, it was very romantic. >> did he get down on one knee? >> reporter: that fabulous sapphire and diamond ring, it was william's mother's back in
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1981. >> congratulations. >> reporter: william and kate talked to itn's correspondent about how they were feeling. >> it has to be said you both look incredibly happy and relaxed. >> we are. we are. we're like ducks, very calm on the surface but little feet going under the water. but, no, it's really exciting. we've been talking about it a long time so for us it's a real relief and it's nice to tell everybody. >> and you knew that you were going to do this from day one? >> i've been planning it for a while. as every guy out there will know, it takes a saern mount of motivation to get yourself going. so i was planning it and it just felt really right in africa. >> i thought he might have maybe thought about it, but it was a total shock when it came and very excited. >> reporter: already analysts are saying this is going to be the wedding of the century with one billion worldwide expected to be watching. i'm natalie morales as bu buckingham palace, now back to
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you. >> i got up to watch diana's wedding when i was back in school and i'm going to get my kids up to watch that one. well, up next, what some aa man alive. or
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well, finally tonight, his wife has been named gq's babe of the year so now actor ryan reynolds has a very lofty distinction of his own. "people" magazine named reynolds the sexiest man alive. reynolds has starred in "the proposal," "green lantern" and van wilder." the actor is married to scarlett johansson and he now expects her to tease him about this honor. last year's honor was johnny
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depp. how they are overlooking you year after year -- >> even my wife overlooks me now. here's the thing with mr. reynolds. it's hard for me to see him as sexy when he acts as the father of alvin and the chipmunks. nightly news coming up next. thank you for joining us. >> we'll see you at 6:00.
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